Jacob Chansley, 34, “became an icon” of the days of chaos that rocked American democracy, Justice Royce Lambert said, sentencing activists supporting former President Donald Trump to 41 months in prison.
“What you have done is terrible,” concluded the judge, who said that he took into account the remorse of the accused when sentencing.
Armed with a spear and shirtless, this self-proclaimed shaman and conspiracy theorist of the radical organization QAnon joined hundreds of Donald Trump supporters in the invasion of the Capitol to prevent lawmakers from recognizing Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election.
Chansley walked into the Senate chamber, sat down in the chair reserved for then Vice President Mike Pence, and left a note that said, “It’s only a matter of time, justice comes!”
The man, originally from Phoenix, Arizona, was arrested a few days after the incident and spent ten months in custody.
In September, Chansley pleaded guilty to “obstructing formal proceedings” in federal court in Washington.
Prosecutors demanded 51 months in prison, the harshest sentence ever handed down to a participant in the January 6 invasion, although the violence charges were dropped.
However, Attorney Kimberly Pashall said today that the verdict “will be enough to permanently prevent any such criminal act.”
To explain the seriousness of the situation, Pashall recalled that Jacob Chensley had posted “harsh messages” on social media against “corrupt politicians and government traitors” long before the January 6 events.
During his extended trial, Jacob Chansley said that he is not a “dangerous criminal” and that he suffers from a “personality disorder” that he wants to be cured in order to be “better.”
“I am not a cruel person, not a rebel, and certainly not a terrorist. I’m just a good person who broke the law, ”the defendant explained, assuring his belief“ in freedom, law, order and responsibility. … ”
Before the trial, attorney Albert Watkins assured that Jacob Chensley had rejected the QAnon movement and was “disappointed” with Donald Trump.
According to the George Washington University Extremism Research Program, a total of 664 people were accused of participating in the attack on the Capitol, which killed five people.
